Desert Hawk Books

 

Will Rogers at the Ziegfeld Follies

Edited by
Arthur Frank Wertheim

 

 

268  pages

Hardback

Quantity:   $24.95 & S/H

 

As the only book dealing with Will Rogers on the stage, this volume fills an important gap in the life story of the humorist--where he got his start as a public figure. Will Rogers at the Ziegfield Follies re-creates an exciting era when audiences laughed at the homespun humor of one of the most popular and influential Americans of the twentieth century. 30 illustrations.

Will Rogers and Florenz Ziegfeld are two magic names in show business. Today Rogers is considered America's most beloved humorist, while Ziegfeld is recognized as the most flamboyant impresario in the history of the American musical theatre. Rogers was one of Ziegfeld's greatest comedy stars, performing in six editions of the Follies from 1916 to 1925. "Ziggy gave me my start," he once said. It was on the Follies stage that he began to joke extensively about current events and to poke fun at celebrities. Will Rogers at the Ziegfeld Follies features the humorist's writings and poignant observations on society during World War I and the Roaring Twenties. Included in this unique collection are two of Rogers' most popular books, The Cowboy Philosopher on the Peace Conference and The Cowboy Philosopher on Prohibition. In selections from his weekly articles and The Illiterate Digest, Rogers lampoons the leading figures of the day, from Henry Ford and William Jennings Bryan to Presidents Wilson, Harding, and Coolidge. In these pages the reader will discover how the Follies brought national fame to Rogers and led him to new careers as a newspaper columnist, film star, radio performer, and popular speaker. His extraordinarily versatile talent is demonstrated by his first syndicated newspaper column, comic routines from his Victor phonograph recordings, a speech to the American Bankers' Association, and many other witty pieces that are still very relevant to our own time. Included here are Rogers writings that have never been published: selections from the entertainer's gag book, notes, and correspondence. In a fascinating exchange of telegrams and letters, the book brings to life the rare friendship between Rogers and Ziegfeld. It also spotlights Will's relationship with two other famous Ziegfeld comedians, Eddie Cantor and W. C. Fields. As the only book dealing with Will Rogers on the stage, this volume fills an important gap in the life story of the humorist. 

"Rogers (1879-1935) performed in six editions of the Follies from 1916 to 1925. This collection features the humorist's writings and observations on society during the period, as well as impressions of Rogers by contemporary observers and friends. Through correspondence and remembrances, it highlights Rogers' relationship with Ziegfeld and two of his other stars, W.C. Fields and Eddie Cantor." - Booknews. 
 
"Rogers (1879-1936) was not only one of his era's most popular performers on stage, screen, radio and records, he was also noted as a comic writer for a syndicated newspaper column he began in 1922. Born in Oklahoma, he first appeared in the theater in 1905 when he played the part of a cowboy doing rope tricks; Rogers began making asides to the audience, and soon his skill as a monologist eclipsed his talents with a lasso. He appeared in various versions of the Follies (where he formed close friendships with entrepreneur Flo Ziegfeld and fellow comics W. C. Fields and Eddie Cantor) from 1915 to 1925, and he changed his patter nightly to comment on what he had read in the day's newspapers--an innovation at the time. While some of the material selected by Wertheim, the editor of Rogers's papers, seems naive and innocent today, it establishes that Rogers was the father of a comic tradition that would eventually include Mark Russell, Mort Sahl and Lenny Bruce. This volume makes a significant contribution to show-biz history. Illustrations include photos, playbills, posters." - Publisher's Weekly.